Re-Imagining Apple

FirienFirien writes "Business 2.0 has put up a selection of ideas from Pentagram Design, featuring some interesting rumoured ipod innovations, as well as a look at what may be next for Apple. From the article: 'The project was led by Robert Brunner, who was Apple's chief designer from 1989 to 1996, and who oversaw the design of the PowerBook line, among many other hit products.'"

Comments

An interesting set of designs

[Anonymous Coward]

An interesting set of designs, but ones that show that non-steve-approved designers just don't get it.

Those products all look like any old generic electronics product. They entirely lack the current Apple design features of absolute minimalism.

If steve could create a sphere with one single button on the outside, that glowed, and had any realistic expectation that it might sell, he would.

(and the button would be optional)

Re:An interesting set of designs

[prockcore]

They entirely lack the current Apple design features of absolute minimalism.

You mean they don't look like boring bars of Ivory soap?

Re:An interesting set of designs

[filenabber]

>a sphere with one single button on the outside,
>that glowed (and the button would be optional)
>

It's been done (just not by Apple): http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/5da2/

Brian - My Trivia Podcast

Re:An interesting set of designs

[Anonymous Coward]

There's a real opportunity out there for somebody to create a mock ad for the "iPhone shuffle." It's just got one button on it: "call."

Tagline: "Life is random."

Re:An interesting set of designs

[calibanDNS]

Why does a cell phone NEED so many buttons though? I really think that mine has too many, and I rarely use them. For me, the ideal cellphone would have an answer button, and ignore button, a button to initiate voice-activated dialing, a button to toggle between ring, vibrate, and silent, and a power button. I should be able to enter contacts through a USB or BlueTooth interface, and since I'd like to use the phone with a BlueTooth headset instead of holding it to my head, it should have a small design.

I don't need a camera, I rarely use the digit keys (only for entering my voice mail password, which could use voice authentication), and I don't need a d-pad because I don't want to browse the web or play tetris on my phone.

On a side note, I also don't want my phone integerated with my digital music player. If a neat-o new technology comes out, I don't want to have to replace my music player just to upgrade my phone or vice versa.

Re:An interesting set of designs

[Mikito]

I think one problem with these designs is that the designers seem to think a click wheel is the best interface for everything.

It's a good way to control a music player, and it might be a good control for some cell phone functions, but it would be awful for a camera. Imagine that you want to take a picture at the highest quality resolution, then you have to back up to the top menu to turn on the flash, and then you have to scroll to select red-eye reduction. The click wheel would slow you down, and you might very well miss the shot you wanted.

And that's just a simple picture! Imagine if you were trying to do something more advanced, such as a leading or trailing flash exposure.

Re:An interesting set of designs

[dchamp]

Check your voicemail, or your credit card balance, or anything else that you can do with a phone that requires you to enter a pin, zip code, or account number - without a numeric keypad. Go ahead. Try it.

There's also text messaging... which is a big deal for some people. I only use it for my one friend who works the night shift and can't answer the phone while at work.

Most people I know never use the voice activated dialing, mostly because it doesn't work, and they don't want to look like a moron saying "Bob! Bob! Bob!" at their phone in a public place. Of course, this assumes that they're not one of those folks who thinks it's OK to talk on a cell phone at any time and place (see: "Shaun of the Dead")

Re:An interesting set of designs

[hawk]

probably don't float, either . . .

hawk, dating himself

Re:An interesting set of designs

[SuperSanta]

Guy: "You're cute, can I get your number?" Girl: "Sure, got a cell phone?" Guy: "Better, an iPhone!" Girl: "My number is 596-6" Guy: "Woaaaah, hold on there missy....This is the latest and greatest new technology. You don't just start punching keys for the number, that so 2002! I'll just boot up my laptop so I can sync to my cell phone so I can add a new contact with your details. Girl: "Whatever. Later g44k!" Now, if they had voice-recognition for adding contacts along with dialing, that might be ok. But the cell phone background noice filtering in general does not seem to be where it is needed to have this work well...yet.

Re:An interesting set of designs

[bfizzle]

You're a slashdotter... you don't need to worry about getting a girl's #

Re:An interesting set of designs

[anakin876]

what about having just those buttons and a touch sensitive LCD that can display any sort of button you want? Set it up so the this screen is usually locked, but when unlocked the buttons can magically appear and dissapear. You would need a power button, an answer button, and if push the power and answer at the same time the LCD unlocks and you can access all your other buttons. You could make the phone practically any shape at that point (especially if it only used a bluetooth headset or something - then it could be a small little box or something). You could also add Functionality (including iPod) as long as you could reprogram the interface and add memory.

Personally I would still want one that looked like the last picture - a smooth black rectangle. The thing looks awesome!

Re:An interesting set of designs

[calibanDNS]

Yes, I take off the headset when I'm not talking to someone.

Re:An interesting set of designs

[misterpies]

What you want is a Nokia 7280. No keypad, just a clickwheel (very iPod).

How's that again?

[93 Escort Wagon]

'The project was led by Robert Brunner, who was Apple's chief designer from 1989 to 1996, and who oversaw the design of the PowerBook line, among many other hit products.'

Perhaps that should read "... chief designer from 1989 to 1996, a period where Apple saw its market share drop to near irrelevance".

Weren't these the same people Steve Jobs saved Apple from?

Re:How's that again?

[four2five]

I think it was more this man:
http://www.lowendmac.com/musings/gil.shtml
Silly gil.....

Re:How's that again?

[rebeka thomas]

> Yeah when he opened up the architecture to clones and you
> started seeing Macs everywhere.

He did no such thing, And those clones were crap. They relied on better performance figures on paper with woeful hardware support & reliability.

I had the misfortune of supporting Macs during the 1990s. Apples were marginally better than most suppliers, but most clones were cheaper & more prone to failure than the worst PC brands.

Re:How's that again?

[Otter]

As a Performa 636CD owner, I must take exception to that! Could a computer that made me a plaintiff in three separate class-action suits be poorly designed?

Re:How's that again?

[n1ywb]

The PowerBook series set the standard for laptop computer design. They were terrific feats of industrial design. And the rest of Apple's products were usually pretty good that standpoint as well. The bad old days were not the result of poor industrial design. Poor price/performance, a crashy and rapidly deprecating OS, and crappy developer programs probably had a lot more to do with it.

Re:How's that again?

[Mononoke]

Sorry, you must have the PowerBook confused for the IBM Thinkpad.

Sorry, but you must not remember the PowerBook 100, the first laptop design to push the keyboard back toward the screen.

Re:How's that again?

[DaHat]

One must not also forget the Powerbook 500, sleek, round, very much unlike anything up until that pointing showing that even laptops could be sexy. Add to that the first true and successful touchpad and you have an amazing winner.

Re:How's that again?

[Simonetta]

Perhaps that should read "... chief designer from 1989 to 1996, a period where Apple saw its market share drop to near irrelevance".

Weren't these the same people Steve Jobs saved Apple from?

This is certainly a valid point, but it is essentially a 'red herring'. It's not the design of the machines that was responsible for Apple's fall in market share. On the contrary, the exempalry design kept the market share from falling further.

Apple's low market share is primarily due to its high price and relative lack of low-cost software. The lack of low-cost software is a direct result of Apple's refusal implement circuitry that runs 80x86 code in general and (to a lesser extent) Windows API calls. The fact that Apple's OS may or may not look, feel, and act better than Windows is irrelevant. The computer is too expensive and the peripherals are too expensive.

PC equipment is highly price sensitive. The only market for Apple equipment is in the fields where dollar value added to the work created by a personal computer greatly exceeds the higher cost of the computer equipment itself (including software). For everyone else, the Windows/Linux OS solution is good enough. The benefits of an Apple system are not worth the extra cost, either the lower cost of the CPU and peripheral and the cost of using the more expensive Apple application software.

For some reason known only to them, Apple chooses to have only a tiny market share of the PC industry. They are certainly smart enough to redefine the industry on their terms.

Re:How's that again?

[soft_guy]

Yes. It would be like reading an article in which Spindler, Sculley, and Amelio describe their ideas for managing Apple and new strategic ideas that they might pursue.

Re:How's that again?

[Mononoke]

I also remember it with that atrocious trackball, a 9" screen, and terrible battery life. The thinkpad had at 10.something inch COLOR screen, and the 'eraser tip' mouse control.

I remember the Powerbook 100 coming out a year before the thinkpad. I also remember that the 100 was the entry-level model, yet the 1992 thinkpad was the "flagship" of IBM's laptop models.

Oh, and that thinkpad clit-mouse is worse than any trackball.

Re:How's that again?

[Ohreally_factor]

Rather than focus on the points I disagree with, I'll address a point that I do, more or less, agree with. And I'd like to formulate it in a different way, so as to provide some insight for you. You said"

For some reason known only to them, Apple chooses to have only a tiny market share of the PC industry. They are certainly smart enough to redefine the industry on their terms.

The way I would put it makes the reason a bit more obvious:

Apple chooses not to compete with Dell and the other commodity box makers in the commodity box market. They've chosen to compete with Dell on their own terms, by redefining the industry more than once.

Maybe you meant to say that. The ideas are certainly there in your post.

Re:How's that again?

[Otter]

That's a different model -- the 636CD was one of the last of the 68K's. In fact, the most sensible of the lawsuits had to do with the fact that Apple had advertised it as "upgradeable to PowerPC", which was only true in the sense that you could sell it and upgrade to a new computer.

If it's any consolation, you only missed out on some coupons. (The lawyers, of course, made out like bandits all three times.) And your Performa will happily run Linux if you stick some more RAM in there.

Re:How's that again?

[PriceIke]

Uh huh, that must be why we're all using those eraser-tip mouse controls.

The first touchpad for mouse control debuted on .. wait for it ... a Powerbook. Ditto the first active matrix LCD. Ditto the first backlit keyboard on a notebook. Ditto the first 17" screen on a notebook.

IBM had the first ... uh ... hmmmm ... hang on, I'll think of something I'm sure ..

Re:How's that again?

[PriceIke]

> References, please.

Sure thing.

The Regsiter

Apple has a history of mobile computing innovation quickly ripped off by other vendors. Its PowerBook 100 - manufactured by Sony - was the world's first notebook with a built-in trackball.

The first trackpad, the first integrated modem, the first integrated 802.11b WLAN, the first 15in widescreen LCD, and the first backlit keyboard (in the 17in PowerBook) are among Apple's other notebook firsts.

MobilePC Magazine: "Top 100 Gadgets of All Time"

22. APPLE POWERBOOK 500, 1994

The PowerBook 500 wowed the notebook market with a long string of firsts: The first touch pad; the first stereo speakers (with 16-bit sound); the first expansion bay -- and the first PC Card slot; the first "intelligent" nickel metal hydride battery, with a processor that communicated battery status to the operating system; and, last but not least, the first curvaceous case, with gratuitously swooped edges and corners instead of the boxy angles of previous notebooks. Make no mistake, this notebook set the agenda for the following 10 years of portable computer design.

MobilePC Magazine: "Top 100 Gadgets of All Time"

1. APPLE POWERBOOK 100, 1991

Never mind the Apple versus PC debate: Until Apple unveiled this 5.1-pound machine, most "portable" computers were curiosities for technophiles with superior upper-body strength. But the PowerBook 100's greatest and most lasting innovation was to move the keyboard toward the screen, leaving natural wrist rests up front, as well as providing an obvious place for a trackball. It seems like the natural layout now, but that's because the entire industry aped Apple within months. The first PowerBooks captured an astounding 40 percent of the market, but more important, they turned notebook computers into mainstream products and ushered in the era of mobile computing that we're still living in today.

I stand corrected on the first 17" screen claim, giving the Register article the benefit of the doubt.

Re:Apple is SO 2004

[poison_reverse]

dropped prices on their ipods, and laptops and released the mac mini???

Apple is rolling

[DoctoRoR]

Apple is the new Sony. Their iPod is this generation's walkman, and Apple is smart enough to leverage that success into other products. Apple has always been good at design. The unix-core of the Tiger OS extends that nice design into the innards.

More food for thought: Paul Graham's essay on Japan vs US design, which gives a nod to Apple as one of the few US companies that get it.

Re:Apple is rolling

[cloudturtle]

I think you are right for the most part, but there is something you say -- that a lot of people say -- that I think misses the point. The iPod may be this generation's walkman, but it is so much bigger for Apple than a "walkman" would be. THe important thing about the iPod is that without a computer it is a big paper weight. The walkman could survive with tapes and radio transmissions, it had no need for an external interface. The iPod requires this external support and that's why it is having a such a great impact on Apple's bottom line -- with the increase in computer sales, iTunes MS, ect. The walkman couldn't have accomplished this, at least the same way, because it was independent and stand alone. The iPod has the ability to be much more than the new walkman, that to me is what makes it such an intersting device from a business standpoint.

Is it just me...

[jberkom]

...or are those designs really, really ugly? They bear hardly any resemblance to real Apple products. I'm guessing that's due to the fact that style-man Jobs became CEO in 1997, by which time this designer was gone.

Re:Is it just me...

[jdog1016]

No, it's not just you. They are ugly. And what's with there being an iPod clickwheel on devices that aren't iPods, or even music players. Somehow I don't think that the clickwheel is an appropriate interface for a phone... But Apple knows this and wouldn't design such uninspired products.

Re:Is it just me...

[kitzilla]

I'm not sure they're as ugly as they are un-Apple. They look like Sony products to me: lots of black and shiny, flat surfaces.

Then again, there's Dashboard. Its aesthetics represent a sharp departure from what I think of as Mac design.

This is from someone still puzzling Apple's fascination with brushed metal within OS X. Here's hoping for some modernized version of Aqua, applied everywhere it makes sense.

Re:Is it just me...

[eck011219]

Definitely. These are completely uninspired - I can't imagine Apple sinking so quickly as to come out with any of these.

I was hoping for something exciting - I'm pretty disappointed in the results of a bunch of ostensibly high-end designers (albeit non-Apple employees, and forecasters at that) working on these things.

Why not cram the iPod into a shoe instead? Or perhaps eyeglasses? Or perhaps a pack of gum? (No, wait ...)

So much of what's in the world now is a result of truly innovative and original design from Apple, going all the way back to windowing environments. I know they need to make a buck, too, but I worry that the iPod is becoming too much a part of their image - apparently that's about as far as these other designers could see, at any rate. It's a very nice mp3 player, but I would argue that it's not changing society the way other Apple innovations have. It's not the Walkman of our generation, as was said elsewhere in these posts. The Walkman made high-quality music genuinely portable and (relatively) polite for the first time - the transistor of its time. The iPod (or any mp3 player) is just a linear extension of the Walkman, now available thanks to new technology. (I'm purposely avoiding the word 'paradigm' here [as it drives me nuts and I can't use it without doing my Little Snob Dance and purposely mispronouncing it], but my point is that the iPod ain't a new one.)

The only reason people call the iPod innovative is not because it's an mp3 player or because it's a great new idea. It's because it's a solid product done right--minimal controls, good quality, solid design overall--which is sadly a pleasant surprise in consumer electronics these days. Doesn't hurt that's it's marketed so appealingly, too.

All that said, back to these short-sighted designs. There's nothing here that Sony couldn't do as well or better. Give me OS X on a watch, on the other hand (har har), and I'll be happy. Actually, I'd prefer a PDA - an OS X device the size of a Palm Pilot or Treo would be great.

'Course, brushed steel and perforated vents, as is the Mac look now, would put it back up over the weight of the Newton. And deafening case fans would be a must.

I do like Apple's recent switch toward low-cost computers - the Mac Mini is pretty cool and will bring Apple to a lot of homes that otherwise wouldn't have considered Macs. But they really need to keep the quality and innovation up while lowering costs, even if it takes longer to do that than it would to compromise one for the other.

And as I think about it now, the iPod will pay the bills while they do that. Okay, so maybe this Jobs guy knows what he's doing. I bet I can still eat more ice cream than him, though.

a music revolution..

[bizmark22]

i vote for a new ipod, that not only has no screen, and less storage space, but also no controls at all.. it holds 5 songs, just turns on and off at will, and plays whatever the hell it wants at random...

but damn it would be the same size as a chiclet and only cost $75...

Mines on preorder as we speak...

Re:a music revolution..

[Fear the Clam]

No, this would be better than radio. He said *five* songs.

Re:a music revolution..

[Anonymous Coward]

I am a frequest radio listener, and I say with confidence that there couldn't possibly be 5 songs in the world.

That's why the iPod, with it's 10,000 song capacity, is simply crazy. Are there really 10,000 versions of Britney's latest?

What will Apple do next?

[Dancin_Santa]

I don't know what Steve's got up his sleeve, but I know that Business 2.0 doesn't like giving out their stuff for free.

The page you requested is available only to magazine customers and AOL members. Subscribe now and you're in...

I guess that's kind of what Steve Jobs meant when he said they "just don't get it." Steve isn't the type of guy to go around giving stuff away for free willy nilly. In fact, he's built up Apple from relative obscurity to the powerhouse PC juggernaut it is today. But when he sees an opportunity, he goes for it. And sometimes that opportunity is to build a stronger brand through giving stuff away for free. He seems to be criticizing the RIAA's tactics of suing their customers, when they should be kissing their asses.

I'm not saying that Steve Jobs should be on his knees kissing anyone's ass, but it is quite obvious that he has a knack for reading the market and "knowing" what people instinctively want.

Re:What will Apple do next?

[cowscows]

Well, those upset mac faithful should get over it. And I say that as mac user for the past 15 years.

Sure, so Apple's kicking some ass with the ipod/iTMS. They're also giving us constant updates to OSX, lots of fun to play with consumer software, a solid lineup of hardware, and with the mac mini, a cheapo machine that everyone's been clamoring for for years.

Part of being the mac faithful is a belief that the average person would be much better off with a mac than a windows machine. Apple's finally making some progress in reaching those average people, and providing them with a cheap computer. What more could we reasonably ask from them? They're not perfect, but I don't think their success in music is causing any big problems.

Re:What will Apple do next?

[Sentry21]

I think there are a few key things that has made Steve Jobs' term at Apple a success:

1. He does whatever he wants - no one is willing to say no to him. Some people follow him out of respect, the rest give in because of fear, but the result is that he gets what he wants
2. He isn't in marketing - he's not sitting there asking twenty-person focus groups 'what would you want an MP3 player to do?' and then implement it all. He decides what HE wants, and makes everyone around him want it, which spreads swiftly.
3. Reality is no barrier - the famed Reality Distortion Field has been proven by reams of empirical data. Otherwise rational people will listen to, accept, and eventually evangelize things that have no basis in any real or imagined universe. Steve Jobs can tell you the sky is neon green, and you'll believe him. It won't be too long before you think, 'You know, I think the ocean should be neon green as well,' and eventually people will be selling $800 crystal bottles for you to put your neon green ocean water into.
4. He's eccentric - just because conventional wisdom says something doesn't mean that he'll listen. He's willing to abandon caution to the wind and go with what feels right - something that people are too afraid to do these days, especially with shareholders breathing down your neck.
5. He's arrogant - He's right. He knows he's right. You know he's arrogant, but you're too afraid to tell him he's wrong, so you just stay quiet and listen, and eventually, you too realize he's right. He's not afraid to tell you what he thinks, and he doesn't care what you think about it - in the end, you know it's not personal, that's just the way it is.

Generally speaking, all of this boils down to one simple summary: Steve Jobs does whatever he wants, whenever he wants, and when he does, he makes you want it too, regardless of the reality of the situation.

Re:What will Apple do next?

[Howski]

The problem is that you also just described MICHAEL JACKSON.

Re:What will Apple do next?

[GlassHeart]

0. He's often right.

Do you imagine for a second that a public company would tolerate a CEO who "does whatever he wants, whenever he wants, and when he does, he makes you want it too, regardless of the reality of the situation" if he wasn't making them as much money as they've ever seen?

Now, leaving everything in the hands of such a person is inherently risky. They are capable of great success because they can brush aside all opposition, but they are also capable of spectacular failures for the same reason. But Steve Jobs is a success today mainly because he made Apple build and sell what people want to buy.

PodWatch

[eric_brissette]

Man, that PodWatch looks badass. I'd love to have something like that.. except that I KNOW I'd lose the wireless earbuds in a matter of hours.

Re:I sure would like a non reg version of the arti

[Stick_Fig]

To paraphrase a wise man, Steve Jobs, Why is it that the people who run the magazine companies just don't get it?

Re:Well, for one thing...

[Kagato]

Apple settled, which is exactly what I predicted they would do. You can't squeeze blood from a turnip, but you can create enough buzz to make other think twice before doing it again.

I know someone who was sued by microsoft. It was essentially the same thing. Rattle the saber a bit, get some media attention, and settle for peanuts after the story has disappeared from the pages.

Pentagram wanting to get bought...?

[tquinlan]

This looks to me like Pentagram is trying to get themselves bought, by showing off that they are good designers and might be a worthwhile acquisition for Apple.

What Wonderful Credentials

[Witchblade]

'The project was led by Robert Brunner, who was Apple's chief designer from 1989 to 1996, and who oversaw the design of the PowerBook line, among many other hit products.'"

He must be a design genius- 89-96 were such wonderful years for Apple!

Re:What Wonderful Credentials

[Anonymous Coward]

Bob Brunner is an excellent designer, one of the top in the industry; so was his team. Many others in the field of industrial design would agree. The problem was that Sculley, Spindler, Amelio, and the horde of suits they gathered around them failed to appreciate good design, believing beauty had no place in computing (much like Slashdotters, I would point out). Apple's ID team, hobbled though it was by the fact that their best work never saw the light of day outside Apple, still managed to win numerous design awards from '89 to '96. I don't think you can blame the ID group for the shortsightedness of their management.

Re:What Wonderful Credentials

[Ohreally_factor]

It was management that nearly drove Apple under. It was products like the PB which helped keep Apple afloat.

iSatan

[Doc Ruby]

Pentagram, Apple... they really do like the "Devil's advocate" trappings over in Cupertino.

Re-Imaging Apple?

[bbeebe]

Be sure to make a backup first...

Steve Jobs Photo?

[MudButt]

Is this supposed to be a photo of Steve Jobs in 10 years? If so, they did a pretty good job!

To boldly go...

[writermike]

Wow!

Ipicture 4 of 5, it looks like the aged Steve Jobs is wearing a Science Division Starfleet uniform from Star Trek IV?

Ooh, this is gonna be GREAT!

1989-1996

[justforaday]

Ahhh, yes, the prime era of Apple. Is this guy responsible for the wonderful internal design of the 8500 and 9500? (note: you had to essentially dismantle the entire machine to add RAM)

Re:1989-1996

[geoffspear]

I for one appreciated the attention to detail given by Apple when they sharpened all of the edges of the metal casing inside my Powermac 6100 to razor sharpness. Everyone knows that NuBus cards work better when they're covered in human blood.

Here's the newest Apple hit

[Anonymous Coward]

Forget this website, take a look at what Apple really has up its sleeves:

http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/images/iProduct.g if

You've heard it here first and the best thing is, Apple can't even sue me into oblivion as I'm posting anonymous.

Too Bad you Have to pay

[Kagato]

So is this a plant from Business 2.0? The pictures are free, but the article wants money.

Really out of the box thinking?

[techstar25]

I'm not so sure these are really all that creative...
We have the
iPod Wristwatch
iPod Wireless
iPod Camera
iPod Media Server
iPod Wireless home phone
How about something new guys? I don't mean to troll, but if this is the most creative you can be then this company is going downhill fast. Whatever happened to the Apple that had all those great new ideas?

Re:Really out of the box thinking?

[FunWithHeadlines]

"Whatever happened to the Apple that had all those great new ideas?"

They're still coming up with great new ideas. In the meantime, we have this article under discussion involving ideas from people who do NOT work at Apple, so why are you complaining about Apple?

Re:Really out of the box thinking?

[Black Perl]

How about something new guys? I don't mean to troll, but if this is the most creative you can be then this company is going downhill fast. Whatever happened to the Apple that had all those great new ideas?

um... the design firm is not affiliated with Apple. It was hired by Business 2.0 magazine to present the "ideas".

Well, the firm was working for Apple from 89-96, when Apple did go downhill fast. Now we know why.

Re:Really out of the box thinking?

[TomSawyer]

I don't mean to troll, but if this is the most creative you can be then this company is going downhill fast. Whatever happened to the Apple that had all those great new ideas?

...and yet people wonder why Apple is so anal retentive about less elegant copycat products. These aren't even real products and Apple is already taking the blame for them!

Steve Jobs, great instincts

[Fox_1]

Steve Jobs meets Dean Kamen

Anybody remember this? Dood has a great natural feel for products.

Re:Steve Jobs, great instincts

[rjung2k]

It's interesting to note, with hindsight, what Jobs' criticism of the Segway were, and how accurate he was with many of them.

"You'll only get one shot at this..."

Re:Steve Jobs, great instincts

[jfengel]

That is interesting, though I'm not sure he nailed the reason why Segway failed. He never mentioned the price. If it were free they'd be all over the place; they're at least as cool as an iPod even without more funky design. As far as I can tell it was too expensive for what it provided. I just can't imagine enough places to take it.

Who knows? Maybe if it had been designed more innovatively it would have caught more eyes than it did. Certainly if they'd taken his manufacturing suggestions it would have been cheaper, and that might have been sufficient (though I can't imagine knocking off the factor of 5 to 10 that would have been required).

Ultimately I've got to give him props for the crucial observation that it simply wasn't the right thing: "You don't have a great product yet!" Well, it would have been great for free, in the Jobs definition of "insanely great", even without more style. But he was clearly righter than everybody else in the room.

Thanks for the link.

Re:Steve Jobs, great instincts

[danila]

The Segway failed because Kamen is a moron. He's a great inventor, but a pathetic businessman. He was trying to micromanage his company, while being extremely niggardly about the cash. Because of this the company lost a CEO every year on average. There was practically no marketing done before the prodcut launch because of Kamen's paranoid fears that Honda would steal the idea if anyone knew what IT was.

Read "Code Name Ginger" for the straight dope on why Segway failed. It was a brilliant product with a poor business built around it. Jobs offered his services as a consultant for free, but Kamen didn't care. If only Kamen retired to inventing something else and left the company to someone more qualified, Segway would be selling tens of millions of its machines... :(

A list of possibilities for the product name

[product byproduct]

sed s/^/i/ /usr/share/dict/words

The next big thing...

[bsdparasite]

I'll tell you why these are not even close to what may come out of Apple.

Simplicity. I don't think Apple is in the game of mixing functionalities (I think Sony is a better contender for that). That is why there is no FM tuner in iPods.

Watch that plays music? No one wants to do anything except keep time using their watch. I mean no one sensible.

Re:The next big thing...

[Megane]

That is why there is no FM tuner in iPods.

That's okay, I only listen to AM radio anyhow.

<rant>So why isn't there an AM tuner in iPods?!?!?!! I'm not going to ever buy one until they include an AM tuner!!!!1!!1!!@@!!one!!!</rant>

Re:Apple is SO 2004

[nine-times]

This won't happen for a while.

I think you missed the point of the post. All the things he mentioned *did* happen already. The reason iPods costs so much, BTW, isn't that the prices are artificially or unreasonably inflated due to a monopoly. Component costs certainly have a lot to do with it, since the retail prices of the storage media alone often cost more than the iPods they're included in.

I guess Apple has a "monopoly" on iPods, but they don't have a monopoly on MP3 players.

Missing the point

[legLess]

These folks have done some cool work, but they're totally missing the point. Steve Jobs would rather shave with a cheese grater than let these things out into the wild with an Apple logo on them. Take one look at any of these gadgets and my first reaction is, "Huh, I bet that does a lot of cool stuff." But I'm a geek, and these designs are by geeks for geeks, and that's exactly what Apple is trying to avoid.

That silly-looking wirless iPod necklace thing -- what's with the bevelled see-through skeleton around it? How does that make it work better? The skeleton around the iPodWatch -- what does it add?

Apple succeeds because they hide the complexity, not because they call attention to it. Flashy complicated designs advertise internal complexity. While a geek sees power in complexity, most people see added cognitive burden. "Oh, shit, I bet that thing has a million features that I'll never figure out."

Re:Missing the point

[omicronish]

Apple succeeds because they hide the complexity, not because they call attention to it. Flashy complicated designs advertise internal complexity. While a geek sees power in complexity, most people see added cognitive burden. "Oh, shit, I bet that thing has a million features that I'll never figure out."

You've hit the point exactly. I'm a PC user for various reasons, but I drool everytime I see a nice, simple, and clean design from Apple. It's pleasing on the eyes and pleasing on the mind, and I wish a PC manufacturer would realize this and just make a laptop or PC without all these little edges, buttons, and colors.

Re:Missing the point

[nine-times]

Take one look at any of these gadgets and my first reaction is, "Huh, I bet that does a lot of cool stuff."

Funny, my first reaction is, "Yeah, right..." (sarcastically)

I mean, there designs are fine, I guess-- at least ok. But the idea of putting an iPod into a watch like that? That's not innovative. Figuring out how to make one that's light and easy to wear, has a reasonable amount of memory, bluetooth, a nice color screen, a convenient interface to your computer, and a price tag under $500-- that would be innovative.

I mean, I could imagine a whole computer built into a watch, thousands of times faster than any super-computer around today, with a neural interface that removes the need for an input interface, and bla bla bla... My imaginings might be interesting, but without any better insight into how it will be accomplished, my imaginings aren't much of an accomplishment.

Digital Country Club?

[MisterSquid]

Someone should string FirienFirien and Zonk up by their editorial tonsils. We can't RTFA unless we shell out money. There is no option to register for free or view advertising in exchange for a subscription. Since when did Slashdot becaome a digital country club where one has no option but to pay to play? Oh, I forgot. 90% of Slashdot doesn't ever bother to RTFA.

That said, I think the most interesting element about this article (of which I could read two paragraphs in addition to its headline) is that a major business news publication is engaging in rumor-mongering just like the fan-based Apple sites. It looks like even the mainstream media has begun imbibing Jobs' Purple Kool-Aid.

Not that I'm complaining. (Just check out mistersquid's profile on http://discussions.info.apple.com/ if you don't believe me). I just find it interesting that mood of Apple's fan-base is starting to be reflected in major media channels.

In related news

[9gezegen]

Apple sues Business 2.0 for spreading rumours about Apple products.

Re:Not really

[colmore]

The single button mouse is a GREAT design. Just try teaching someone who has never used a computer before to use a two button mouse. It also forces intelligent design on software developers. Very few applications have (or should have) the level of feature complexity that would require contextual menus for basic functionality, and multiple mouse buttons should rightly be viewed as an optional enhancement rather than an interface essential.

If you don't like it, do what I did, and get a $10 logitech wheelmouse. OS X supports it just fine.

Imagine...

[CrazyTalk]

If Apple actually sold computers again. Seriously, they are rapidly turning into a consumer electronics companies and selling computers are becoming more and more of an afterthought.

Re:I sure would like a non reg version of the arti

[KillerDeathRobot]

It might help if the blurb linked to the right part of the story (which is reg free).

Link

Re:The clones were better than Apple's machines

[justforaday]

Having supported some of the Power Computing machines, I'll vouch for Rebeka. Many of those machines were absolute crap.

Re:Re-imagining Apple?

[DesiVideoGamer]

Are they going to start selling Beowulf clusters iPods?

Somebody has already done something similar.

Get a clue

[Locke2005]

they are rapidly turning into a consumer electronics company And so are Dell and Gateway... hmm, I wonder why? Could it be that computers are now commodities with razor-thin profit margins, while consumer electronics can still be sold for several times their actual worth? Business is all about margins, and you don't get good margins by competing directly with Asian manufacturers. Someday even HP might figure that out...

The only thing I liked

[Dark Paladin]

Was the iPhone and maybe the video iPod, though I think the flap idea is just bad.

For a movie iPod, take the current device, make the screen longer for 16x9. Now if you want to watch a movie, turn it on its side and use the wheel to move forward or back.

For the iPhone, let you side the top half sideways so you could hold the phone while revealing a keypad - great for finding/entering contact information, notes, text messaging, etc.

But I'm not sold that Apple will go this route. I think they see the iPod as a hub to the computer - insert music into computer, get music onto iPod. Insert movies onto computer, get DVD's or (in time) movies onto the iPod. Record messages to the iPod, and back to the computer.

So most - if not all - of what they do is still geared towards the computer. And I think most people in this generation can live with that.

Extend the idea further. Apple is using the iPod as a hub of its own - recording messages, storing contacts, etc. I can see a time when you buy a digital iCamera, and instead of accepting tapes it just uses an iPod for storage. Plug it into the digital camera or camcorder, take your pictures (with 4,000 picture storage space at incredibly high quality, or with 40 GB of storage space, that's what - around 40 hours of video at MPEG-4 for normal TV rates, different for HDTV? I'm just guessing, so I'm sure someone who knows more about video compression will know).

Cars, like GM, are making "iPod plugs" so you can charge up. Look at the third party iPod market - at least 3 manufacturers are creating car stereos to let you view and select playlists from your iPod.

Expect to see the iPod become more of a "hub" in this fashion - and, of course, still come back to the PC. Maybe it will get Bluetooth in the future so can "walk into the house, sync and go". But several of the ideas (such as the "Wireless iPod you hang around your neck") won't happen because doesn't use the computer as a hub - but as a streamer. Apple knows people want to sync and go.

One last thought - the one thing that I'd like to see in future versions of iTunes is a group/family system. I have music, my wife has music, my kids have music, all shared on a Mac Mini. I have a family user just for that reason, but I can see the first time my daughter does a User Switch to herself and doesn't unplug Daddy's iPod, then starts putting *her* music onto just her user - now duplicating storage.

I'd like to see a version of iTunes which takes this into account, and lets you say "I'm a member of an iTunes share - point me here". Granted, there is the DRM angle where you'll have to have a "family user" to play Audible/iTunes store purchased songs (fine by me, since I just either buy CD's or JHymn the music once I buy it online) instead of every person using their own - but an iTunes family system would be a great. Only 4 more years until my daughter turns 10, and I think the system should be in place by then when she *really* starts getting into her own music.

Simplicity doesn't mean lack of functionality

[cfalcon]

I think we may reasonably see FM tuners on iPods. My iRiver has one, but of course, like everything else on my iRiver, I have to use this multidirectional tiny button to browse around to get to it (I bought it for the open standards it supports).

I think if Apple could keep a straight, uncluttered interface they would support an FM (or XM, or Sirius) tuner.

I'd like my watch to do a ton of other things- but the "it has to be a watch" comes first. So a calculator would distract from that terribly (bunch of tiny buttons, my watch is digital with analog face, etc.). I agree that Apple hasn't been big into hybridization, and for this we have much more useable items out of them. A watch that plays music would presumably have a cable going to my ears: no thanks, guys. If it broadcast a tiny signal that independant headphones / headband recieved, then maybe. Maybe.

I think before we get truly multifunctional small slabs of plastic and metal, we will need better dynamic controls. Example: my Kyocera 7135 Phone/PDA combo works real nice, but mostly that's because of a touch screen that makes the MP3 player have MP3 player controls, the address book have address book controls, etc. But it's still a pain to use when moving at all, even walking, because of the stylus / difficulty of hitting the screen correctly. Dynamic buttons (LCD screen on each button) would go in this direction, but I think we are still far away from good general purpose items for this reason.

Revealing Quote

[BandwidthHog]

"I've never had a living, breathing music executive come to Apple."

Kinda makes ya wonder what's hidden in that closet in the corner of Steve's office, doesn't it?

Popularizing existing technologies

[Alaska Jack]

Apple has a history of taking existing but fringe technologies and making them mainstream. I thought, in keeping with this, that the next revision of the iMac would keep the swing-arm structure, but add the ability to rotate the screen to portrait mode.

Don't get me wrong, the new iMacs are cool, but I would have liked to see the rotating monitor become mainstream.

- AJ

In related news, attorneys...

[IronChefMorimoto]

...for Pentagram Design, Mr. Reeves and Mr. Pacino, had no additional comment regarding the future plans of collaboration between Apple and Pentagram.

IronChefMorimoto

Apple computer shipments are actually on the rise

[chia_monkey]

"If Apple actually sold computers again. Seriously, they are rapidly turning into a consumer electronics companies and selling computers are becoming more and more of an afterthought."

Turning into a consumer electronics company? If you recall, way back when Steve introduced iTunes to the masses, his plan was to make people want the iPod, which would make people want Macs. His plan is working perfectly. While other PC companies are predicted to have slowdowns in units shipped, Apple is actually expected to sell MORE computers in the near future. Not only is Apple selling computers...they are selling MORE computers than before. Making a nice chunk of profit from the product that is helping the computer-base grow is simply gravy.

Re:Apple is SO 2004

[superpulpsicle]

That is the saddest way to defend Apple's overpricing. The iPod is overpriced with expensive components, yes... maybe acceptable.

But you mean to tell me a car adapter, a firewire cable and other iPod accessories need to be orverpriced too. Apple is clearly jacking prices up, cause they are in the monopoly seat.

Full article text

[Anonymous Coward]

(Expand browser window to view ungarbled.)

What's Next for Apple?

Steve Jobs won't ever tell you -- but we will. Here's what a trail of intriguing evidence reveals about
where the world's hottest company is going.

By Paul Sloan, Paul Kaihla, April 2005 Issue

Steve Jobs was rocking back and forth in his chair at the head of his conference room table -- and venting. It was January 2002, and the target of his
ire was the music business. The industry was reeling from Internet piracy and, as Jobs saw it, doing nothing about it. Even Jobs himself, a man
accustomed to commanding people's attention, had been largely ignored by music execs. Jobs railed to his audience, a few Apple (AAPL)
lieutenants and Paul Vidich, then a senior exec at Warner Music, about the industry's total lack of imagination. "Until now," Jobs said, "I've never had
a living, breathing music executive come to Apple."
Vidich sat quietly.

"Why is it," Jobs continued, "that the people who run the music industry just don't get it?"
Vidich could have taken this the way Jobs certainly meant it -- as an insult. But as Vidich listened, he couldn't help thinking that he agreed. Finally,
he spoke up.

"Steve," he said, "that's why we're here. We need some help."

It's amazing to consider what has happened since that encounter at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, Calif. In three years Apple has utterly changed
the way people listen to music, and Jobs has become the hero of the very people he was lambasting. Top acts are eager to sell their music via the
iTunes music store. The iPod music player has become totemic; it's selling at a rate of about 40 per minute. White buds sprout from so many ears
that a sudden human evolutionary adaptation seems to have taken place.

Apple's lead in digital music is growing even as an army of corporate powerhouses -- Dell (DELL), Microsoft (MSFT), Samsung, and Sony (SNE)
among them -- spends hundreds of millions of dollars to grab a slice of the business. And the financial transformation driven by Apple's storming of
the music stage has been profound: On its knees when Jobs retook control in 1997, Apple is coming off a year in which revenue rose 33 percent and
profits quadrupled. Its stock, not surprisingly, has been on a tear, up more than sixfold in the past two years and now hovering around $42 a share.

So, Mr. Jobs, what do you do for an encore?

It has become a parlor game in some quarters to try to divine where Apple is going and how it intends to get there -- and not just at the dozens of
blogs that traffic in Apple rumors. Recently, Microsoft quietly hired a former Apple design executive whose mission is to help Bill Gates's baby
behave more like Steve Jobs's. Apple doesn't make the game easy; Jobs is famously secretive and detests leaks -- just ask the kid from Harvard
whom Apple recently sued after he posted details of the Mac Mini before the stripped-down computer was unveiled at Macworld (see "The Secrecy of
Success"). But there are ways to draw a bead on what's brewing in Jobs's fantasy factory. And we're here to tell you, it goes way beyond what he has
discussed at Macworld.

Jobs wouldn't talk to Business 2.0, but in various public forums, he has stressed how the $499 Mac Mini, the low-cost iPod Shuffle, and an advanced
operating system called Tiger, due out this spring, are meant to build on the digital-music momentum. In truth, they are but the tip of a very long spear.

Discussions with past and present company officials, Apple partners, and longtime acquaintances of Jobs, as well as clues in patent applications
and other evidence, point to a gargantuan effort to leverage the iPod's success by creating an entire line of breakout consumer electronics devices.
Dozens of gadgets -- from an iPod phone to wireless iPods that talk to one another to the ultimate all-in-one home-cum-car media hub -- appear to be
on the drawing board or, in some cases, already in prototy

Re:Not really

[Ohreally_factor]

If you don't know how to access contextual menus in the Mac OSes (and didn't think it was possible), maybe you need to get a clue.

I've tried to teach my father the keyboard shortcut for quitting an app. CMD-Q. Bless his heart, he still uses the menu every freaking time. Do you think these clueless people, such as my father, should be subjected to your "clueful" idea of computing?

Re:Apple is SO 2004

[nine-times]

Most of the accessories aren't produced by Apple. So you might want to complain about Belkin instead.

It gets really spooky

[Ohreally_factor]

OK, you better sit down. It's even scarier than that.

Darwin's mascot has a pitchfork, horns, and a . . . .

BILL!

Proof that MS is the Devil, if you were ever in any doubt.

Re:The clones were better than Apple's machines

[jht]

I was a big user of Power Computing clones back in the day - they had features I couldn't get in Apple kit, had good prices, and you could do BTO without a problem. The reliability was only so-so, but their support was always good and they were quick about getting me parts if I needed them.

Apple's reliability was also crap during that era, too - and their prices were a lot higher.

When it became obvious that MacOS 8 was really just being targeted at shutting down the cloners (at the time, most of the clone companies only had license rights up through 7.x, because 8 was originally supposed to be Copland) and that Apple was going to refuse all the license renewals, I wrote Steve Jobs a snippy e-mail complaining about it and telling him I expected to see their lunch eaten by NT.

A day later, he sent me an e-mail back explaining his rationale in what he was doing, and we agreed to disagree. You know, I'd say he was probably right after all...

Apple Design Award

[Anonymous Coward]

If steve could create a sphere with one single button on the outside, that glowed, and had any realistic expectation that it might sell, he would.

You must be thinking of the Apple Design Award. It's a "beautiful metal cube ... that glows when you touch it." Unfortunately they're generally not for sale.

http://www.mekentosj.com/goodies/cubism/

PIctures, including x-rays:
http://www.mekentosj.com/goodies/cubism/gallery.ht ml

already been done

[k2enemy]

nokia makes a very small, no button cameraphone aimed at clubbers that just accepts your SIM card then uses voice dialing.

http://www.nokia.com/nokia/0,8764,62371,00.html

This is what I want!

[Bodhammer]

Newton + IPod (>=10Gb) + lightweight BSD/OSX on modern hardware (i.e. Zaurus SL-3000 size and form factor) with WiFi,USB 2.0, Outlook sync (for work), PalmOS emulation, Sony PSP screen resolution, and no shit 8 hours of battery life for less than $600.

Steve, let me know when I can place my pre-order!

Re:Not really

[Bun]

"You don't work in GUI design, do you? Context menus are essential in complex applications, e.g. IDEs, Tech Drawing, UML design."

You quoted the parent, but perhaps you didn't read it first? Let's see it again:
"Very few applications have (or should have) the level of feature complexity that would require contextual menus for basic functionality..."
Your list represents an almost insignificantly small subset of the applications used by PC owners. Most applications used by people are nowhere near as complex as the ones you cite.

Re:Not really

[BitGeek]

Hmm... I can think of no company in the computer space that has had more designs copied from apple. Hell, every Linux and windows GUI is a copy of the old Mac UI (and not a very good one at that.)

I can understand why Microsoft did it- they have little creativity and their culture stifles it.

But why did Linux GUI developers just copy the really poor Windows UI (which is a poor copy of the Mac UI)?

Sidebar-- if you're going to mention xerox in your response, don't bother. Apple licensed some ideas from xerox, paid them in Apple stock, and then created a user interface from them that went far beyond what xerox had in the lab, etc.

One of those isn't good

[AtariAmarok]

"The first touchpad for mouse control debuted on .. wait for it ... a Powerbook"

One of those isn't something to be very proud of. The reason the IBM eraser tip is not a lot more common is that IBM charges a lot to license their patent. At times, Toshiba has chosen to bite the bullet and include it The eraser nipple thing is far easier to use than one of those mushy touchpads. Especially when so many touchpads have the horrendous "feature" where if you bump the surface, it acts as a mouse click. This makes absolutely no sense: how many real mice register a click when you touch the mouse without clicking it? I've seen some where you could not even turn it off, making "a Drag is often a Click and Drag even though you never clicked any button" a common situation.

Re:One of those isn't good

[PriceIke]

Hey AtariAmarok, you're a funny guy .. I copied and saved one of your posts the other day about swedish pirates .. "I veell seenk yuoor sheep und ploonder yuoor buuty, hurty flurty schnipp schnipp!" .. cracked me up ...

I agree with you about the "clickable" touch-pad "feature". I keep this turned off on my Powerbook G4. I have never liked it and am always surprised that other people, using my computer, are so surprised when tapping the pad does not result in a click .. apparently they use it so much on their laptops that they're used to it. I dunno, it's never grown on me.

It's undisputed however that the first touchpad on a laptop was on an Apple Powerbook, and today all laptops have touchpads.

Are they serious?!

[Caiwyn]

This article claims some rather outlandish things I'd never heard:

1. That iTunes was created as an attempt to mimic P2P software.
2. That the makers of Kazaa sued Apple, and settled out of court for a rather large amount of money.
3. That ESR did much of the programming on iTMS.
4. That ESR is the one who suggested putting DRM on the files, a prospect that hadn't occurred to Jobs or the music industry.
5. That the music industry had to convince Apple to loosen the DRM restrictions because they were afraid people wouldn't buy otherwise.

I almost want to say this sounds like an early April Fool's joke. Are they serious? Does anybody buy this?

Better ERGONOMICS too.

[tentimestwenty]

I'm so sick of people bashing Apple's one button mouse. Next to the PowerMac beige mouse that was standard through the 90s, the new clear optical mouse is the most ergonomic design ever made. You can hold it just about however YOU want, there's no craning to reach the button because the WHOLE THING is a button. All you people who love scroll wheels, and buttons on the side, top and front are going to wake up one day and not be able to move your hand because of carpal tunnel. Take it from me - 10 years as a graphic design power user.

Sure, I can get 10% more productivity with a scroll wheel or multi-button mouse, but I wouldn't be working today PERIOD if I'd used one all along.

Redefinitions properly defined.

[AtariAmarok]

"- The PC market is a business market and the command line serves it. Redefinition (via Mac): The PC is a consumer market and the user interface matters. Result: GUIs and usability all over the place."

Except there were still many things that were easier on the command line than the GUI. The command line serves the users, period. Apple crippled thier OS by not having it. No one else copied this mistake, and eventually Apple rectified it with OS-X (which is their first serious OS).

"Users want total control over their computers. Redefinition (via Mac): "

Apple was way behind on this at the start. Jobs was openly hostile to "hackers" playing around in the guts of the machine and the OS to make it work better. The CLI went away only on the Mac. No one copied this mistake, and Apple was forced to bring it back. Besides, you never increase user control by getting rid of a feature. That only makes it harder to use.

"- Computers sit on a desk and run applications. Redefinition (via Newton): Computers can portably support everyday tasks. Result: PDAs"

Now it seems like you are making stuff up. The Newton was a false start, a failure. It was Palm who gave us the PDA for others to copy. Newton's only legacy is "flvvbr writte on nVVt0n!" handwriting recognition jokes.

" Computers are for computing. Redefinition (via iMac, iLife, iTunes, iPod): Computers are for entertainment."

Again, you have it backwards. Look at Jobs again, often outright hostile to the idea computers being used for games. Computers were also making music and playing games long before, as well. Original Napster on PC was hugely popular long before iTMS. Yes, the iPod is hugely popular now.

" Computer companies make computing equipment. Redefinition (via iMac, iPod): Computer companies make consumer electronics."

Do you think history began in 1984? Of course not. Commodore sold calculators before, during, and after its computer run. It took mere seconds to think of them. There are probably many other examples.

What we really have here is instances of Apple doing something so badly it never mattered (the Newton), Apple doing stuff others already did before (consumer electronics, computers as a way to listen to your personal music), Apple doing something the wrong way and eventually catching up to everyone else (sophisticated command line only in the 10th "X" version of the OS), or Apple just doing what everyone has done since the late 1970s (making computers for entertainment). On the network part alone, you are pretty close to the mark.

There is no redefinition going on here, except when it comes to colors. The iMac color scheme had a profound impact throughout industry, resulting in staplers and George Foreman grills.

Now for the good part:
You forgot to mention an actual Apple innovation that they DID start and was copied by others: firewire. Wifi (Airport) probably should have been mentioned: Apple was a true leader in this. You also under-emphasized the iPod. While not 100% a "computer" thing, it is having a huge influence.

Do you have one of those 1970s Mavicas?

[AtariAmarok]

" I can see a time when you buy a digital iCamera, and instead of accepting tapes it just uses an iPod for storage."

The only thing I can figure is that you have one of Sony's 1973 model "Mavica" 0.3 kilopixel digital cameras that stores the pictures on an 8-track tape you insert in the side of the camera.

Re:Like many on /. , you're an insulated geek

[AtariAmarok]

" Do you expect a command line on your DVD player or your microwave? Of course not"

They don't have anything like a full keyboard, so it doesn't make sense there. But if they did, they would need it.

"The computer is now a piece of consumer electronics and the interface matters. That began with the Macintosh."

It began long before the Macintosh. Besides, in the mid 1980s Apple was one of a few companies with the GUI. The "piece of consumer electronics" started with the C= Pet, TRS-80, and Apple ][. The Macintosh came, what was it, 6 or so years later when things were well underway, and it was a Apple was a minor player by then. Apple then, as now, even tried to avoid being a major player of consumer electronics by intentionally making its machines hard to buy with the idiotic dealer situation. The iPod is their first serious attempt: you can get them at Target, and don't have to put up with dealers at Official Apple Stores who are only open from 10 to 5.

In an alternate reality, Macs might possiby have dominated things if Apple had early on made the decision to have them sold at as many places as possible. But this did not happen: the company still shoots itself in the foot with the "official Apple store" problem.

Let's say it is 6:00 at night, and I want to see the latest Toshiba laptop. No problem, just go to Best Buy. But wait, there is something called a Powerbook that might be better? Go over to the Apple store. The lazy bums don't even want to sell them: the store closed over an hour ago.

As for your mention about insulated geeks, the mom and pop non-geeks during the Mac's early years still prefered PCs. The mom and pop non-geeks still do.

"calculators are not high-volume CE devices"

Commodore is an excellent example. Back when Commodore was in it, calculators were a big deal, and not something you get for $2 on a keychain without thinking about it.

"The only important innovation of the Palm was their special alphabet Graffiti."

The other important innovation was that they made a well-designed machine that gained wide acceptance. The previous makers (of which Apple with its Newton was only one) never had succeeded at that. The Willard (oops, too much Seinfeld)... I mean Sharp Wizard never had mass acceptance.

")!It did not sell well because they did not properly manage expectations with respect to handwriting recognition."

That was just one of many problems. Apple, like usual, also made the Newton hard to get by limiting the distribution stream. It was also a mess compared to the Palm.

"Consoles are getting there now, but were not when Microsoft introduced the X-Box."

Do you think that history began in 1999? The Atari 2600 was one of many high-volume game consoles that preceeded the X Box. Intellivision, Coleco, others...